http://johnchidleyhill.com/?p=153 A blog about reading, writing, pop culture and sports. Wed, 05 Feb 2014 05:14:52 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.41 http://johnchidleyhill.com/?p=153&cpage=1#comment-36 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:29:31 +0000 http://johnchidleyhill.com/?p=153#comment-36 The Leafs lost of a lot of offense, yet beyond perhaps Ian White there was nobody they shipped out that wasn’t likely to be gone by next season anyway. I loved Hagman, but this Leafs team is about youth now and he doesn’t fit in to that equation. White was having a career year, but that was going to mean a significant salary increase for a new deal. Stajan was too inconsistent and Toskala proved he didn’t have what it takes to be a number one. Blake played hard, but he never seemed to produce like he did in NY.
If Phaneuf returns to what he was in the last few seasons then the Leafs stole him. Giguere has a history of mentoring young goalies and he’s reunited with a team of people who trust him (Burke and Allaire).
What I think people are missing in this deal is the other players. Sjostrom is a special teams guy and he instantly makes the penalty kill team better than anyone the Leafs gave up. Aulie could be the next Tyler Myers once he’s been seasoned in the AHL.
The Leafs got tougher and younger in this deal, whether or not they get better is something only the future can determine. But at least they refuse to stand still, and that has to count for something.

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